Overview

• The Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-CWA is Blizzard’s second wall-to-wall union, representing nearly 200 developers across all disciplines, including production, design, engineering, and QA.
• Microsoft has voluntarily recognized the union, continuing its labor neutrality agreement with the CWA established in 2022.
• The unionization drive was spurred by Microsoft’s January 2024 layoffs, which cut 1,900 jobs in its gaming division and highlighted persistent job insecurity in the industry.
• Over 2,600 workers at Microsoft-owned gaming studios are now unionized, reflecting a growing movement across the video game industry for collective bargaining rights.
• Union organizers are advocating for stronger job security, improved salaries, and protections against the boom-and-bust cycles that have historically defined the gaming sector.